Zaila the Last Aether

Once upon a time...... its funny how this is the beginning of every story. Some end on a happy note, others on a sad one that we keep looking for another section. How can it end like that? Hoping for more and more. Once upon a time. My story keeps going, the end is in a vague place, with vines growing all around, not letting me even see a little ideas, some sort of caption of my soon to be place. I don't know if I have an end...maybe I am just a girl that has no need for a hero's name.
I wake and see that I am still in my prison. My hair all over, untamed. My arms with a ache that has long been there. I hear the guard coming; my heart is going a mile. Someone please find me, what have I done to be here? The door opens, my doom is here.
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Chapter 1
The guard looks down at me, his eyes are dark with the knowing what is to come of me soon.
‘Time to work you piece of shi..’
“Why am I here? What is my name?”
“Shut up and get up” He takes me chains and unlocks them. My freedom, I can feel it. I get up and ran.
The man grabs me and throws me into the stone wall. His hands touching me, Please gods, let me see blackness again. I look at him, there is nothing there, just deep black eyes. His hands reach for my neck; I know I will never see the sun again.
“Don’t touch her, Ingof!’
Just what I needed, the boss, the evil snake…Malaki. He runs this place, I don’t know much about the world or even him, but I know this man is pure evil. He stands over 6 feet, built to bring people down, hair as gray as smoke, and when he looks at you, you know that he can kill you and no one will ever find you. I would rather deal with Ingof, then have Malaki in my cell.
“Hello again, Zaila”
That word, Zaila. I have heard it before. I look up, I remember coming here. All I saw was darkness on my way over. Than when they removed my blindfold I saw Malaki. He told me that he controlled me now, that I will soon wish that I died that day. I don’t remember anything. Is that my name?
Ingof comes forward and takes me by the arm, leads me to the hallway. My eyes go blurry; the fire lamps are in full power tonight or today. I have lost track of days and nights. When my eyes are able I look about, the other prisoners are in line. Ingof takes me to the end.  I see a group of men come and look at us. What is going on? Some men have beast that I don’t know of. They look like dogs but yet not, with skin that is red and black, and looks like blood coming off it. With teeth that could eat you in one. The leader starts to take people, they fight but it is a useless one.  Like a Snake vs. a Mouse.  And we are the mouse. I heard yelling down the hall, where they have taken the people. “Please not me, I can still work! Please no…Stop!”
The men isn’t done, he is halfway to me. Please don’t take me.
“He is called the Feeder.” I look at the voice, a man about 35. Tall and dark skin, with blue tattoos all over. He was a warrior once. He smiles at me, I guess he can tell that I am new.
“NO TALKING IN LINE!!” The Feeder come to me, looks me up and down. I dear not look at him. “Look at me, girl.” I look up through my dark hair, and meet his eyes.
“What lovely purple eyes” The other people in the room, prisoners and guards look at me. What is wrong about my eyes?

We are taken to a bigger place. I look up almost hurting my neck, the cave just keep going. It’s red as blood with stairs wrapping around the walls. I see people all over, men and women, even children, digging and cleaning. What I am I doing here? I look at the people in my line, we are being lead to the stairs, one of many. We start to climb, I make eye contact with the tattoo man.
“Were we going?”
“To work, we dig up jewels and make the cave bigger.”
“So that is our punishment? To dig up jewels? For whom?”
“The boss and his Royal Highness King Gordon”
The tattoo man is look forward, but I can tell which man he likes more. I don’t know who this King Gordon is. I look around seeing all the jewels and gems. Priceless things, the King must be very rich. But what have these people done?
“My name is Anoka, I am from the desert. What is yours?”
“My name? umm…well the boss called me Zaila. I guess that my name.”
“You guess? Well, don’t know much do you?”
I put my head down, hiding my pink checks. We go to a stop. I look around again, and down. We are on the highest level, the other workers look like ants to me. Each person is given a shovel and a pick axe.  Ingof steps to the front and makes eyes with everyone. His eyes stay on mine longer.
“Your job is to dig and make another hall”
Than the guards and Ingof left, but one stayed, he was big both ways. He had on a mask, covering his eyes. I could see scars all over his face and arms. He puts his eyes on me, I turned around and walked to Anoka. I start to dig, I feel like an idiot, the shovel was going all over and every time I picked the shovel up. Half of the dirt would go to the ground.  I hear the workers laugh.
“Ok, what is it?”
“You are digging like the dirt is evil.”
This man is loony. The dirt is evil? I think Anoka spend too much time with his evil dirt. But I will go along with it. I put my shovel into the dirt a little lighter, what do you know, the dirt stays on. I put in the dirt feeder.
“Where is the dirt going?”
“What? Oh the dirt. Well, it goes down to the sorters which they get the job of taking the jewels out and the real dirt goes to the mud makes and they make… well…mud.”
Time goes by fast here; the mask guard is walking up and down. Looking for someone to step out of line. His whip, like a snake waiting to let his venom fly. The other guards come back, and grab our chains. I feel like an animal. We are taken down to the bottom level, and given bread and water. I put the bread to my lips, it smells like…dirt.
“Eat it, tomorrow is a day of doom.”
“What do you mean doom?”
Is it all dig day or something?
“Eat. I will tell you about it tomorrow. You need sleep.”
I eat and drink the bread and water. Than the mask man comes and takes us to our cells. Doom day what is doom day? My cell door closes, and I lay in the corner. My mind is still on this doom day. My eyes fell heavy, and I fell asleep coming over me.
I open my eyes, I am in a grass flied, and there are flowers and birds. I hear a voice; I get up and walk to it. I hear it again, it’s a man’s voice, he is singing. What a lovely voice.
‘Where I am I? Hello’
I keep going; I see a tree, a willow and a lake. Where am I? Where is he?
‘Hello?’
I keep walking, there are birds and dragonflies. This place is beautiful. I never want to leave. Have I been here before?  I feel like I know this place. The voice, I hear it again. I walk faster, there on the lake dock. He sees me and smiles. He looks like a god. He stands and looks down at me, he has to be 6 feet tall, and I am 5’6. His hair is curly and black, with a little hair on his chain. And his eyes I could look at them forever, his eyes are a stunning green. I touch his arm, and he puts his hand on my lower back. I stare at him, and he to me.
‘Who are you?’
“My name is Demetri’

I open my eyes, hoping to see Demetrio, but I see Ingof. Not want I really wanted to see.
“Get up, time to see how you run.”
Run? What does he mean? I step out to the hall, everyone is in a line, no chains or guards.  Anoka sees me and moves his hand, telling me to come over.
“Run...Run, Zaila. A pretty thing like you should run...fast.’ I feel a shiver go down my spine.
“LET THEM OUT!!!”
All at once everyone come running my way. I get hit; I put my hands over my head, hoping I won’t get killed. What is going on? When I feel everyone is away, and not over me, I look about. I turn to were the line was, but what I come to is one of the evil dogs. His eyes are to mine, and blood is coming off him. I move my eyes to a noise, another one with a man in his mouth. His head is bobbing up and down with each chew the dog takes on him. His eyes meet mine, as if saying, Run, before they get you too. I dog throws his head back and lets out a howl, I craw on my hands and knees to the exit, I turn by head and see the dog about to jump on me. I let out a scream, my last one.
I see a figure pass over me; I open my eyes to see Anoka attacking the blood dog with an ax. He looks like a warrior taking down the evil. His body moving, as if it doesn’t need him to control it anymore. With every move the dog does, his dark body moves out of the way. With one last move the dog meets its end. He is covered in the blood of the dog; it’s outside blood and the blood in the body. Anoka walks up to me, and does the last thing I would thought was a good idea at this time, he smiles.
“You know the best way to fight is to stand first.”
“Thanks, I will remember that next time a bloody demon dog attacks me.” He puts his hand down to me, and I take it, helping me to my feet I hear screams and warrior yells. I put my hands around my arms.
“It’s ok. Don’t worry I will stay with you.”
“When is this over?”
“When the Sun meets the Moon and the sky is on fire.” He is still on the alert. His eyes keep looking all over.
“Ok, what does that mean?”
“At dawn.”
“Right, because that sounded clear.” I hear footsteps, no claws on the floor, and I smell blood.
“We must move!”
We run into a hall, and climb stairs. This place is huge, so many stairs and turns. My head is down, watching my step, and the dogs and people I see through the holes on the floor borders. I run straight into Anoka.
“Why did you stop?”
He didn’t need to say anything; my eyes saw the dog, then blackness.